Business Energy Bills Could Be Capped From Next Month

Independent pubs are among those who will get longer-term support, says Liz Truss

- Kate Devlin & Adam Forrest

Millions of businesses across Britain are set to have their energy bills capped for six months from as early as October, as ministers battle to keep firms afloat amid soaring prices. Independent local pubs will also be among a smaller number who will receive longer-term help, Liz Truss indicated on a visit to New York yesterday.

But business leaders said more support was needed as they warned against what they said was a "cliff edge" in aid. And Tory MPs said the scale of the initial package, to be unveiled by business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg today, would have to be "huge" if the government is to save the high street this winter.

Many businesses have reported projected increases in their energy costs of more than 500 per cent and some have already been forced to close. On a trip to a United Nations summit, the prime minister said soaring energy bills were a "price worth paying" to ensure the UK's "long-term security" after Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused costs to spike.

She also reiterated her claim she would not tell Britons to ration energy use this winter as Russian president Vladimir Putin limits gas supplies to Europe. But she reassured some "vulnerable" businesses that the government would offer them longer-term support.